Today, September 11, marks 104 years since Mahakavi Bharathiyar departed from Mother Earth. Some of us know that only eleven people participated in his final journey. When he was alive, he was branded a Mad Sanyasi (Pitta Sanyasi). When he is no more, political actors get dressed up like him and score political brownies mouthing his very famous lines, “You think I will fall.” (நான் வீழ்வேனென்று நினைத்தாயோ?)

The Bharathi we know

We know him as a fiery poet, a fearless freedom fighter.

Kavi Yogi Suddhananda Bharathi says thus, “Chidambaram Pillai for his speech, Bharathiyar for his poetry, VVS Aiyer for his prose. These are Tamil Nadu’s three gems. The Trishul of Bharata Mata. These men, the Tamils, and the world would never forget”

But there are other lesser-known facets of him that we will explore in this article.

A multi-linguist par excellence and translator

செங்கதிர்த் தேவன் சிறந்த ஒளியினைத் தேர்கின்றோம் – அவன் எங்களறிவினைத் தூண்டி நடத்துக  – Mahakavi Bharathiyar

We choose the Supreme Light of the divine Sun; we aspire that it may impel our minds. – Sri Aurobindo

This is known as the Gayatri Mantra in Sanskrit. The Tamil translation is part of his famous Panchali Sabhadam, a poetic exposition of Dhrupati Vastra Apaharana. Stanza 153.

He moved to Madras in 1904. He joined the Swadeshi Mitran magazine as a sub-editor. Bharathiyar considered Sri. Subramania Iyer, who owned Swadeshi Mitran as his guru in the publishing world. He calls Iyer, the person who honed his skills as an editor.

The lesser-known fact is that Bharathi seldom wrote for Swadeshi Mitran. Iyer feared Bharathi’s nationalist tendencies and only gave him translation work. Bharathi credits Iyer for fine-tuning his English. He goes on to say that he understood the greatness of Tamil when he worked on translations, searching for equivalent words in English.

In 1906, the partition of Bengal was rocking the national conscience. This was the point when Subramaniya Iyer realised that he could not control a nuclear explosion in a little container. Bharathi left Swadeshi Mitran and started a weekly called India. That India was printed on Red paper was just an indication of what sort of a weekly it was. It sold 4,000 copies a week in 1906.

Editorial, news, poetry, cartoons (political satire), and research articles about history and great people, everything in India had a Bharathi hand. The fiery content ensured that the British establishment immediately took notice of India.

This was also the time when Bharathi invited Bipin Chandra Pal to Madras for a meeting. During this meeting, India’s first bonfire of foreign clothes was lit by Bharathiyar on the Marina Beach.

Meeting his idol at the Surat Congress

In 1907, the Surat Congress was a very stormy affair. Surendranath Banerjee, the leader of the moderate group, was attacked with slippers. The moderates clashed with the extremists, which resulted in a few broken furniture and bones. The Congress split. Some even attribute this to the delegation from Tamil Nadu, a notable crowd that belonged to the extremist faction. VOC, Bharathi and many more.

But the more interesting episode was Bharathi meeting one of his idols, someone he longed to meet, Sri. Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The Madras delegation landed in Surat the day before the session, and the first thing Bharathi wanted to do was to meet Tilak. It was raining cats and dogs in Surat. The torrential rain notwithstanding, and despite strong advice against moving out, Bharathi ventured out to find his idol. Asking around for Tilak and unable to locate him, he came around the pandal to the path that connected the conference pandal to the accommodation of the delegates. It was heavily flooded, the earth had caved in, and many people were working to repair it. Here is how Bharathi describes the scene.

“I saw someone under an umbrella; he was working with the team, supervising the work. I came around to see the magnetic eyes; they were like a cannon spitting the feeling of swarajya. I couldn’t do anything but fall flat at his feet, in a Shashtanga Namaskaram and touch his feet with veneration.”

The move to Puducherry

In 1908, the intensity with which the India magazine operated increased. It was also the time the administration arrested Tilak, and they started closing in on everyone who belonged to his camp. Naturally, Bharathi was a target. It is noteworthy that the two individuals who tipped him off about an impending arrest and asked him to leave Chennai for Puducherry were top government officials. Sri. V Krishnaswamy Iyer, who later became a Judge of the Madras High Court and a member of the Governor’s council, and Sri. A Krishnaswamy Iyer, who retired as a Deputy Commissioner of Police. Incidentally, Sri. V. Krishnaswamy Iyer was the first to publish Bharathi’s songs as a two-part book, which was before 1910.

It was another story that the India magazine too moved to Puducherry. During the same time, some 200 secret police officers tracked people like Bharathi, Sri. Aurobindo Ghosh, Maharishi VVS Aiyer and others who found refuge in the French Puducherry.

India published a song that caught the eyes of the British, the one that made Bharathi one of their most wanted. Famously called the Krishna Stotram (கிருஷ்ண ஸ்தோத்திரம்). It is the most famous poem:
என்று தணியும் இந்த சுதந்திர தாகம், என்று மடியும் எங்கள் அடிமையின் மோகம்
When shall we quench our thirst for freedom, when will we put an end to our love of slaving out?

The establishment made it difficult for the India magazine to circulate, and soon India ceased to exist. Bharathi started Karmayogi, a Tamil magazine. He borrowed the title from the English magazine Sri. Aurobindo was publishing.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra in Tamil

One of the most extraordinary things Bharathi did here was to publish a Tamil translation of the Patanjali Yoga Sutra. He had read an English translation of the Yoga Sutras by Swami Vivekananda, which he found to be inadequate. So, he set out to translate it on his own, into Tamil. This appeared as a series in Karmayogi and was appreciated by everyone, including Sri. Aurobindo. He was an expert in Tatva Darshana, the exposition of the various schools of philosophy in Sanatana Dharma.

Bharathi was a man with a weak body. There was a time in his youth when he wanted to exercise, go to the gym, and build himself up with muscles. He wanted to have a wrestler’s body. During his time in Puducherry, one of his close friends was Maharishi VVS Aiyer. Aiyer was a Lincoln’s Inn-educated barrister, a well-read and physically strong person who exercised and swam regularly. Bharathi loved watching him do that. That was the best he could. He loved flexing a muscle or two as Aiyer busied himself in his regimen, as if he were the one who indulged in the exercise.

Bharathiyar on the missionaries

Surendra Nath Arya, a fiery speaker in his native Telugu and Bharathi’s close friend from his Madras days, landed in Puducherry after spending 6 years in the British prisons. During incarceration, he contracted leprosy. He was attended by and converted by the Danish missionaries to Christianity. They were going to send him to the USA to study theology and become a preacher. Learning about this, Bharathi chided Arya.

He lamented, “I knew this was waiting to happen. With the current state of affairs, the Hindu Samaj will only degrade. We are nothing but a lump of shameless creatures without any life.”

“What will happen to the Hindu Samaj if every disgruntled son converts? If sensible people like you convert, what will happen to the Hindu Samaj? Can a wife commit suicide because of a petty quarrel with her husband? Can a husband obtain Sanyasa because his wife said something he doesn’t like? What will happen to the Grihasta Ashrama if such a trend continues? Now, you will have to listen to what the Danish Padre says. They will make you their handmaiden, convert your love for Bharata to their advantage. And push you into missionary activities to convert our own people. I am so sorry, I am no one to lecture you.” It is a different story that Arya proceeded to the USA despite breaking down as Bharathi spoke.

It is another story that Arya came back to India with a Swedish wife, did missionary activity, but then returned to Hinduism. He was one of the handful of people who attended Bharathi’s funeral. It is another shameful story that he later became EV Ramasamy’s lieutenant in his so-called Self-Respect Movement.

Great man, with a fickle mind. This was the same Arya who addressed a group of people in Marina beach, with patriotic fervour, he boomed, “A catfish has lovely whiskers, so do you. What is the difference?”

Defining social justice

It was during this time that Bharathi performed the Upanayana ceremony for a boy named Kanakalingam from a Scheduled Caste. At the end of the ceremony, he proclaimed that Kanakalingam was a Brahmin henceforth. He asked him to proudly announce himself as a Brahmin to anyone who asked and tell the world that Bharathi had conducted his Brahmopadesa.

A step more than the welfare of the people

Like Saint Thayumanavar and Yati Vallalar, he cared about all living things on earth, including trees and plants. While in Pondichery, he wrote a poem called Vinayakar Naanmani Maalai, on God Manakula Vinayagar.

பேசாப் பொருளைப் பேசநான் துணிந்தேன்;
கேட்கா வரத்தைக் கேட்கநான் துணிந்தேன்;
மண்மீ துள்ள மக்கள், பறவைகள்,
விலங்குகள், பூச்சிகள்,புற்பூண்டு,மரங்கள்;
யாவுமென் வினையால் இடும்பை தீர்ந்தே,
இன்பமுற் றன்புடன் இணங்கி வாழ்ந்திடவே
செய்தல் வேண்டும், தேவ தேவா!

Let me speak the unspoken;
Daringly ask a boon no one has.
All things on earth – people, birds,
Animals, insects, grass, trees;
Should be free from any suffering,
Be happy and live harmoniously in love
Do ensure this, the God of Gods!

We are living and breathing freedom because of the sacrifices of great people like Mahakavi Bharathiyar. He cared less about his well-being or his family and gave his everything for Bharata. More than a century and a quarter, he proclaimed that Bharata is the best in the world, பாருக்குள்ளே நல்ல நாடு எங்கள் பாரத நாடு

Now, it is up to us to make his dreams come true.
பாரத சமுதாயம் வாழ்கவே,
Long live Bharata!

Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra student.

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The post Mahakavi Bharathiyar: Beyond The Fiery Verses, The Lesser-Known Facets Of A Revolutionary appeared first on The Commune.

Let us dust and ready the portrait of VVS Aiyer For today, we need to remember Subramania Sivam

Today, July 23, is the Remembrance Day of one of the most selfless sons of Bharata Mata, Subramania Sivam. If so, why that convoluted headline bringing VVS Aiyer into the reckoning? Because these two leaders are always remembered together, four times a year, by a handful of people. Painful, yet true, it is their beard that gets recognised and not them. Therefore, their pictures are used interchangeably.

This article aims to highlight a few aspects of Sri. Subramania Sivam’s life, which we may not be aware of, is worth celebrating for his contributions to liberating Bharata Mata from foreign occupation.

Quick Recap of What We Might Know About Subramania Sivam

Born in Batalagundu, in the foothills of Kodaikanal on October 4, 1884. His childhood and poverty were synonymous. He did his early education in Madurai and moved to Thiruvananthapuram. In his own words, the Oottampirai (free dining hall for the poor) in Thiruvananthapuram kept him nourished. As was the custom in those days, he married Smt. Meenakshi when he was 15 years of age and lost her when he was 18. Meeting Sudhanandha Swamigal in Thiruvananthapuram was a turning point. He obtained Mantra Upadesam and named himself Swatantrananda. From there, he dedicated his life to Bharata Mata. He was a close friend and associate of V.O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Bharathi. We can say that Sivam was one of the first to promote Bharatiyar’s poetry.

First Political Prisoners In Madras Province

12 March 1908, District Collector Winch of Tirunelveli got Subramania Sivam and V.O. Chidambaram Pillai arrested for sedition. The crime was taking out a rally celebrating the release of another freedom fighter, Bipin Chandra Pal (one of the Lal-Pal-Bal trio). These two great men thus became the first political prisoners in Madras Province. As there was no precedent, they were treated as any other prisoner and subjected to all hardships of Rigorous Imprisonment. Being firebrand leaders, they were subjected to more hardships than others.

Jail, The Place Of Penance

Undergoing innumerable hardships wasn’t a big thing for Sivam. In a booklet titled “Jail Life”, he describes his experience in jail humorously. He says, “Brothers! In this world, happiness and misery alternate. The jails we are imprisoned in for the sake of the ideal of Swatantra are really places of penance for us. We shall with bold dignity accept the jail term which is given as a prize for endeavour to bring freedom to humanity.”

“In the prison cells, there will be a bell at 5 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, there will be a second bell. By this time, all prisoners would have to get up, come out of their opened cells, and stand before their cell doors. By 5:30 a.m., the third bell will be rung, and the doors of the ward will be opened. After the jail officials had inspected the prisoners, we ran towards the lavatories. It will be a hell of a place, most unclean, with past refuse not properly cleaned. We have to clean the refuse pots that we use. After that, we will ‘clean’ our teeth with sand or dirt, whichever might be available.

Breakfast will be ready by now. Kanji made from ragi with a little something called chutney. At 11 AM, there will be a ragi meal, a solid mass with sambhar, both dropped into our meal pot. The sambhar will be truly tasteless. Twice a week, we will be treated with rice with no vegetables to go with it. All vegetables grown in jail would have gone to the houses of the jail officials. Every Wednesday and Sunday, non-vegetarian food would be served. For those not taking non-vegetarian food, a small quantity of Gingelly oil would be given.”

He had this to say about Sundays, the day of compulsory shaving for the prisoners. “If only one were not compelled to undergo the shave, prisons would be declared heavenly abodes. For shaving, they will have some sharpened iron blades. It will be a real torture to be shaved by this implement. According to the intractable jail rules, hair in excess of half an inch anywhere on the body of the prisoners will encourage accumulation of dirt and lead to ill-health.”

The rigorous imprisonment he underwent included hard labour. Sivam was put on wool cleaning. Wool reared from sheep was an arduous task. First, it was soaked in lime and dried. While twanging, particles of wool and lime will enter the cleaner’s nose and eyes, resulting in tearing and nonstop hiccups. Thanks to this ordeal, Sivam fell prey to leprosy.

Sivam was a writer par excellence. He ran a monthly magazine called Gyanabhanu (1913). Later, he had to discontinue Gyanabhanu and started a weekly magazine called Prapancha Mitran (1916).

Sivam On Social harmony

Sivam fully understood that social harmony starts with educating all the sons and daughters of Bharata Mata. In an essay he wrote in November 1914, he says, “Everyone born here is a child of the same mother. Any misery we undergo is contagious. We need to provide education to everyone so that they understand that the misery of one easily catches the other. Misery is collective. The aim of education should be to broaden the hearts and minds of the people. Selflessness is the only way people will become society-oriented and people-centric. We should teach our children that selflessness is national interest. We need to ensure that our children are educated for Bharata, that nationalism is infused in them. Children should be made aware that Bharata was once the world’s Gyana Guru. They should be taught that shunning arrogance, seeing good in keeping others happy, are the qualities of a true hero. We should help children develop three essential attributes: tolerating pain, maintaining a calm demeanour, and bravery.”

In May 1914, he wrote an essay “Vidhya Anubhava Vishesham” about Thirukural. In that he says, “Unity is strength. Why should we create a divide between ourselves by saying one is high and the other is low? Knowledge that doesn’t lead people in the right direction is of no use. It would be better if we didn’t acquire such knowledge. A wider and open heart is much better than a deeper brain. We should see Ishwara in the form of all creatures. They are all his creation after all. Serve them all. For that is happiness.”

He closes this article with a verse from Thayumanava Swami.

கற்று மென்பலன் கற்றிடு நூன்முறை சொற்ற சொற்கள் சுகாரம்பமோ நெறி நிற்றல் வேண்டும்

Which translates to, what is the use of learning from reams and reams of paper if we can’t stand by what is learnt? This is precisely what Tiruvalluvar says in Kural 391, (கற்க கசடற).

In an article he wrote in January 1915, he says, “For a tree to grow, you water its roots. Likewise, for the community to grow, Gyana (Knowledge) is the foundation. As our ancient knowledge suggests, we must ensure that every life on earth lives in happiness and harmony.”

He brings the social angle in an essay he wrote on religion (June 1915). “Whether you are cutting wood or ploughing, consider whatever you do as Ishwara Pooja. Our Dharma doesn’t ignore worldly life. It encompasses every sphere of life – the welfare of the community, matters of polity and state governance, trade and commerce. Brother, there isn’t any difference between the Ishwara in you and others. Ishwara Prakasha is one and can’t be split or seen differently. There is no caste or creed or any difference in Ishwara Prakasha. Everything on earth is a manifestation of Ishwara.”

See Swadeshi In Everything

In another essay (the date is unclear; this should also be around 1915), he says the call for Swadeshi should encompass all walks of life, including the games and sports we play. “We should encourage and grow sports like wrestling, kusti.” He has written extensively about the Mallars (wrestlers) and the rings (Godha) where the fights happen. He talks very fondly of Gada (mace) and Mudgar (Karla Kattai) and the need for training with these implements. He says, becoming fit and developing your body is an easy way to attain a happy mind. He says, “Reclaim the glory of Silambam. Don’t ignore the treasures like Kabaddi (Sadugudu), it isn’t enough screaming on top of your lungs about being Swadeshi when you ignore these Swadeshi treasures.”

Tamil, Thy Name Is Nectar

He discusses the importance of maintaining the purity of Tamil, free from English contamination (in contrast to another individual who advocated for writing Tamil in the English script). At the same time, he acknowledges that we cannot wish away the use of Sanskrit words from the Tamil language. He takes pride in saying that Tamil is a unique and well-developed language. He says that research has proved the legacy and beauty of our language. Often, he would challenge people, asking them to provide an English word they thought didn’t have an equivalent in Tamil. He says, “We should remember that up north, even the English speak in Hindi. Language is the lifeblood of society.”

He ends this essay with this short poem.

Let your tongue soak in Tamil.

Pen glide through Tamil,

May your heart seek out and be filled with Tamil

May the damsel, Tamil, give you love and protection.

The Man Who Gave Without Prejudice

Subramania Sivam had a very tough life. But difficulties never bothered him, be it the poverty during childhood, losing his wife at a very young age, the hardships in prison, the deadly disease of leprosy he contracted in prison, and what came after – he wasn’t allowed to board any public transport. He was single-minded; he wanted to free Bharata Mata and wanted to build a temple for Bharata Mata where everyone, irrespective of caste or creed, can come and celebrate their mother.

In 1923, he purchased land in Papparapatti, near Dharmapuri, to construct a temple dedicated to Bharata Mata. He had another great son of Bharata Mata, Chittaranjan Das, who laid the foundation for the temple. It was rather unfortunate that the temple wouldn’t be complete and opened before he passed away into history on 23 July 1925. He was all of forty-one.

He lived true to one of his favorite Thirumanthiram (250) by Thirumoolar, providing us with the message of social harmony, Swadeshi, and much more. Just that, we are not reading him. It is time we woke up.

ஆர்க்கும் இடுமின் அவர் இவர் என்னன்மின்

பார்த்திருந்து உண்மின் பழம்பொருள் போற்றன்மின்

வேட்கை உடையீர் விரைந்து ஒல்லை உண்ணன்மின்

காக்கை கரைந்துண்ணும் காலம் அறிமினே

Aarkkum Idumin Avar Ivar Ennanmin

Paarthirundhu Unmin Pazhamporul Potranmin

Vetkai Udaiyeer Viraindhu Ollai Unnanmin

Kaakkai Karaindhunnum Kalam Arimine

Provide food (knowledge) without prejudice.

Don’t eat when the hungry are waiting.

Let go of the past; don’t hold on to old things.

Learn from the crows, how they call each other before they eat the morsels available to them.

The post The Forgotten Firebrand: Subramania Sivam, The Selfless Son Of Bharat appeared first on The Commune.

When we write about the greatness of Tamil or the symbols and people we celebrate, it often becomes a hagiography. Many times, this is unintentional. In the preface of his book, “Sri Meenakshisundaram Pillai Sarithiram” (“The History of Sri Meenakshisundaram Pillai.” Sri. Pillai was ‘Tamil Thatha’ U. Ve. Sa.’s teacher), U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer says, “(the authors/ publishers) attribute things to great people, thinking it will add to their fame. Thus, they impose blunders on the heads of these great people using this cheap tactic. They restructure great people’s history, life, and times according to their whims. There are instances when personal preferences of authors/ publishers have dictated the caste, religion, language, job, gender, time, and place of existence of these great men.”

Today is the day of remembrance of Mahamahopadhyaya U. V. Swaminatha Iyer. He passed away into glory on this very day in 1942. He was eighty-seven when he left us. Tamil would have been a richer language had he lived a couple of more centuries. As we remember him and his works, I wondered why we should only state and restate his great work for Tamil. Why not look at his life and works from the contemporary lens and explore how we can benefit by trying to emulate him?

Pancha Parivartan – The Five-Fold Transformations

This is the centenary year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which started its work on Vijayadashami Day in 1925. One of the programs that Sangh is advancing in society in this centenary year is Pancha Parivartan, the five-fold transformation we must strive for. The five places we need reforms are Equality and fraternity (Samajik Samarasata), Promotion of familial values, Environmental protection, Advancing ‘Swa’ (selfhood) based on Bharatiya values, and Duties and responsibilities of citizens. In this essay, let us look at U. Ve. Sa’s contribution through the lens of “Swa” or selfhood based on upholding Bharatiya values in all aspects of his life.

Selfhood or “Swa” has many dimensions, the seven major being Swa Bhasha (upholding the glory of our language), Swadhyaya (our education system), Swa Bhoosha (our way of dressing), Swadharma (our Dharma), Swatantra (our principles), Swabhimana (our practices), and Swadesi (all things material and geographical belonging to my country). U. Ve. Sa.’s life is undoubtedly the best example of a person upholding all dimensions of ‘Swa’. Let us see a few examples from his life that illustrate why ‘Tamil Thatha’ is the beacon of how to uphold “Swa.”

Swa Bhasha – Upholding The Glory Of Our Knowledge

It is known that without Tamil Thatha’s untiring efforts, much of ancient Tamil literature would have disappeared from the face of the earth. While it would be unfair to attribute all the revival efforts to U. Ve. Sa, it is a fact that he was a pioneer who travelled extensively across Tamil Nadu looking for palm leaf manuscripts of old classics, retrieving them by making a copy, talking to scholars to find more and then publish them for posterity. G. U. Pope, a missionary who translated some Tamil classics into English, had this to say about ‘Tamil Thatha’ – “Swaminathayier, the Tamil Professor in Kumbakonam College, has published “Purananooru.” Anyone who wants to publish a Tamil book must follow in his footsteps. This is his fifth publication. If reviewers from the West look at his publications, they wouldn’t think twice about putting Iyer among the crème of intellectuals and fete his literary capabilities and the hard work he has put into this publication. Thanks to Iyer, the world will know that Tamil is second to none.”

Swadharma And Swabhimana – U. Ve. Sa’s Dharma Was Reviving Tamil Literature

“Tamil Thatha” U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer’s sole focus was to search for the manuscripts of lost literature in Tamil and publish them in a way that would be useful to future generations. This was a tedious job that required seeking leads about the existence of palm leaf manuscripts, extensive travel across the nooks and crannies of Tamil Nadu, deciphering the manuscript, understanding the meaning, rearranging the text where required, and then publishing. This required a lot of time and money. Iyer wasn’t a rich man in the material sense. He was always looking for patrons who could support him in his effort, giving him monetary help to take his manuscripts to print and assisting him in locating palm leaf manuscripts. Iyer never looked to monetise his services for the language of Tamil. Two interesting instances stand testimony to Iyer’s Swadharma and Swabhimana.

U. Ve. Sa went to Ramanathapuram to condole the demise of the mother of Vallal Pandithurai Thevar, the Zamindar of Palavanatham, who had helped him publish a few classics, including Manimekalai. During his visit, the Raja of Ramanathapuram Samasthanam, Bhaskara Sethupathi, informed Pandithurai Thevar that he wanted to reward U. Ve. Sa with a village for his great work for the Tamil language. During his audience with Bhaskara Sethupathi, Iyer thanked him for his offer through Pandithurai Thevar. But he politely refused the reward, stating that he was being remunerated enough for his work as a college professor, and considering the state of Ramnad Samasthanam at that time, it wouldn’t be proper for him to accept the reward. It was another story that Ramnad Samastham was reeling under a lot of debt then.

The second instance was when the principal of the Kumbakonam College, Rao Bahadur C. Nagoji Rao, knew about Iyer’s struggle to publish Tamil Classics. He knew that Iyer was spending his own resources, and he wasn’t financially well off. Nagoji Rao was previously a school education inspector and had a good idea about pedagogy, syllabi, and school book publications. This well-paying and coveted job offered Iyer a second source of income. He offered to speak to the publisher, Longmans, Green & Co, who published all school books, and get U. Ve. Sa to contribute to their Tamil material for the first to third-form classes. U. Ve. Sa thanked Nagoji Rao profusely but politely declined the offer, stating that he spends much time researching and compiling the Tamil classics. If he also gets into designing school syllabi and books, he wouldn’t be able to do justice to both.

The ”Swa” (Selfhood) Lesson That U. Ve. Sa’s Life Offers

There can’t be a better icon for the Tamil society to learn about “Swa” than Mahamahopadhyaya U. V. Swaminatha Iyer. His love for Tamil, his single-minded focus on the mission he had taken up, and his unwavering commitment to the revival of ancient Tamil literature are unparalleled. There is much to learn from him on all things “Swa” from his life. On his Remembrance Day, I wish every one of us took a vow to learn and emulate the life and deeds of our beloved “Tamil Thatha” and contribute to the true renaissance of the Tamil society. If we do that, Valluvar’s words will come true.

தாமின் புறுவது உலகின் புறக்கண்டு
காமுறுவர் கற்றறிந் தார் (399)
Thaam Inburuvathu Ulagin Purakkandu
Kaamuruvar Katru Arindaar.

The learned man seeth that the learning that delighteth him delighteth also all that listen to him: and he loveth instruction all the more on that account – The Kural or The Maxims of Thiruvalluvar by VVS Aiyar.

Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra student.

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The post How ‘Tamil Thatha’ U Ve Swaminatha Iyer Embodied Timeless Bharatiya Values appeared first on The Commune.

Tamil Nadu political leaders, including Thol Thirumavalavan and Seeman, have eulogized Kovai Basha, the notorious terrorist responsible for the 1998 Coimbatore bombings. Kovai Basha died of old age a couple of days back. Who was he? Was he someone who contributed to the society? Did he contribute to science? Education? What is his claim to fame?

He was a convicted terrorist who was jailed for killing innocent people in the name of religion. He was a bigot who misled a generation of his coreligionists to perpetrate terror on ideologies that he didn’t like. Let us quickly look at who he was and his road to notoriety. Basha was a firewood commission agent in Ukkadam, Coimbatore. He diversified into real estate broking and became a real estate businessman. The influence of Wahabi Islam increased in the late 1980s. Its initial epicentre was the old Madurai District (Madurai, Ramnad, Tirunelveli), which slowly diversified into Coimbatore. Basha soon became the ringleader in Coimbatore. One of his first acts of terror came in 1983 when he waylaid attacked the BJP leaders who were travelling in a car with a machete. Basha brutally attacked Jana Krishnamurthy, Thirukovilur Sundaram, T. R. Gopalan, and Narayan Rao.

In 1987, Basha brutally attacked Rama. Gopalan, the late leader of Hindu Munnani at Madurai Railway station. An attack so brutal that Gopalji was in a coma a month before his miraculous recovery process started. His skull was broken into pieces by this attack. It makes one wonder how such a heinous terrorist was let loose in the society. How could he escape the hands of justice and continue perpetrating terror?

Emboldened that the arms of law were keeping him at a distance, he threw open challenges. In 1989, he started issuing fatwas against opponents. He issued a fatwa against five Hindu activists, including Arjun Sampath and Veera Ganesh. Veera Ganesh was brutally murdered.

Basha’s terror activities were so blatant that he and his gang ransacked the office of the Coimbatore West, DMK MLA, C. T. Dhandapani. The reason – he met with Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Anyone he thought was not subscribing to his position was intimidated or silenced.

In 1993, there was a deadly RDX blast in the RSS office in Chennai. This resulted in eleven deaths and seven people gruesomely injured. The cause was Jihadi terror, and the terrorists were linked to Basha. The next was the gruesome murder of Kottai Ameer, a Muslim activist who was campaigning against Jihadi activities. And then came the murder of the young traffic constable Selvaraj in 1997. His fault was that he stopped a bike for triple riding and asked for their papers. Many of us might remember that the police department went on a strike protesting the killing of their colleague, which itself is very strange. Even after a police strike, the loss of 20 lives in the violence that followed, didn’t activate the long arm of justice to do something decisive against Basha.

Next came the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts. This act of terror was aimed at BJP leader L. K. Advani, who was visiting Coimbatore for some political meetings. Such was the evil mind of the Jihadi terrorists that they timed a bomb in the Government hospital targeting the victims and relatives of the blasts in other locations who would eventually be brought to the hospital. In six hours, there were twelve explosions across the city, killing 58 people and injuring more than 200.

After this gruesome Jihadi attack, Al Umma, the terror organisation that Basha headed, was banned. He and his associates were arrested and prosecuted. It wasn’t just Basha, but a few more from his family were arrested too. The Justice Gokulakrishnan Commission that was set up to probe the bomb blasts, indicted the government machinery for their lack of checks and surveillance and for not discharging their duties as expected. Many of us would remember that this is more or less the same thing that Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai said about the recent “gas cylinder” blasts in Coimbatore in 2023: intelligence failure and lack of surveillance.

So, this is the Basha who has been eulogised by leaders of a party recognised by the election commission, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). The party supremo and an elected MP, Thol Thirumavalavan, went a step ahead and posted an eulogy, almost blaming the government for keeping Basha in jail. Another politician and the chief of the Naam Tamilar Katchi, Seeman, referred to Basha as his father and delivered his characteristic cinematic dialogues while paying tribute to this newfound father, a man who had been convicted of terrorist activities. The government of Tamil Nadu, on its part, even permitted a huge public procession to take the remains of Basha for burial.

The crowd seen during Basha’s final journey and in the meeting that happened before begs a critical question: What is the stance of the Muslim community on this? Do they see Basha as a role model for their children? The community that bravely came forward and issued a clarification during the recent 2023 Coimbatore bomb blasts against the Jihadi perpetrator Jameesha Mubin and subsequently denied him a burial in their graveyards needs to come out and clarify their stand about Basha and Al Umma. Otherwise, all their good work in 2023 would go waste and be seen as empty posturing.

The constituents of the Chidambaram parliamentary constituency need to ask their MP, Thol Thirumavalavan, about his stand on terrorism and terror activities. How can an MP who isn’t serious about terrorism that killed hundreds of innocent people protect the people of Chidambaram and ensure their welfare? The members and patrons of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi should also ask the party the same question.

Lastly, Seeman, whom Tamil Nadu sees as a comic relief for his antics about his relationship with ‘dead’ people, must be taken seriously. By calling a convicted terrorist “Appa”, he has not just shown his class but has also bared his fangs. Tamil Nadu needs to wake up to who he is and show him his place in the next elections.

Here is what the people of Tamil Nadu should know before continuing to support these regressive forces, such as Thol Thirumavalavan and Seeman, that support terror convicts. Your vote is a mighty weapon you yield.

இளைதாக முள்மரம் கொல்க களையுநர்
கைகொல்லும் காழ்த்த இடத்து (The Appraising of Enemies, 879)

“Fell down thorn-trees while yet they are young: for when they are over-grown they will themselves cut the hand that attempteth to fell them” – The Kural Or The Maxims Of Tiruvalluvar – V V S Aiyar

Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra student.

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The post Thirumavalavan And Seeman, Do You Have An Ounce Of Shame In Glorifying A Mass Murdering Terrorist? appeared first on The Commune.

Tamil Nadu has always been a chess-conscious state. Not many know that the great son of Bharata Mata, Maharishi V V S Aiyer, was a big chess player. He was so prominent that the chess problems he solved were published in chess magazines in England and Holland. It is said that the earliest chess club in Chennai was the Mylapore Solar Chess Club, established around 1920 by K S Subramanya Aiyer. Manuel Aaron became the first Indian FIDE International Master (1961).

He did his best in various capacities for the Tamil Nadu Chess Association and the Indian Chess Federation; he was also a journalist. Not many know that one of the first corporates to support chess in India was also from Tamil Nadu. It was the great philanthropic industrialist from Pollachi, Dr N. Mahalingam of the Sakthi Group. A chance meeting with Aaron in 1966 pushed Dr. N. Mahalingam into the chess scene. He later became the president of the Tamil Nadu Chess Association and partnered with Aaron to promote chess.

Tamil Nadu – The Chess Master Factory

The second FIDE IM, V. Ravikumar (1978), was also from Tamil Nadu. The third IM, Raja Ravi Sekhar (1981), was also from Tamil Nadu. India had to wait for its first Grandmaster until 1988, when Viswanathan Anand stormed into the scene. The Russian Culture Center in Kasuri Rangan Salai was home to the Tal Chess Club, the sanctuary of the chess-crazed Tamil Nadu. There is this very famous story about when Vishy Anand was introduced to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in May 2012. This was before his World Championship match against Boris Gelfand of Israel at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow in 2012. Anand is said to have told President Putin that he learnt his ropes at the Tal Chess Club at the Russian Culture Center in Chennai. The president is supposed to have quipped, “So we brought this upon ourselves.”

1988, the year Vishwanathan Anand became a FIDE Grandmaster, proved to be a watershed moment. His success further galvanised the Tamil Nadu Chess scene, with many, like GM R. B. Ramesh, crediting their taking up competitive chess after Anand. Today, Tamil Nadu boasts 29 out of the 83 FIDE Grandmasters. We are also home to eight Women Grandmasters. If we take a leaf from the Canadian writer Malcolm Gladwell, Vishwanathan Anand was The Tipping Point of not just the Tamil Nadu chess scene but for the whole of India.

Post Tal Chess Club

Tal Chess Club folded with the breakup of the USSR. GM R. B. Ramesh and many other able hands have since filled the vacuum. Ramesh needs a special mention, as he retired as a player very early when he was only 32. Another story is that he became a coach when he was 22, taking charge of the Indian Junior Chess Team that attended the Asian Junior Chess Championships (1998) in Iran. He struck gold right from his first assignment as a coach, returning with winners in both the boy’s and girls’ categories – Tejas Bakre and Vijayalakshmi Subburaman, respectively. 1999 saw Ramesh coaching Aarthie Ramaswamy to a World U-18 Championship. It is another story that Aarthie and Ramesh are married now, and together, they successfully run Chess Gurukul, the academy in Chennai that nurtures and mentors most of the top chess talents from India.

Vishy Anand – The Father Of Indian Chess Boom

Vishy Anand’s role as a mentor and a pillar of support for chess in India cannot be downplayed. Every Indian chess player looks forward to the fabled visit to Vishy Anand’s trophy room when they become a GM, where Anand spends time with the new GM discussing his/ her game. Many have rightly called Anand, the father of the Indian chess boom. His Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA) has been at the forefront of making many champions, including the reigning World Chess Champion, D. Gukesh. Gukesh had this to say after his win, “Vishy Sir was never officially a part of the team but we all know he was supporting me. He attended one of the days during the training camp and also helped remotely for a few sessions”.

The other Chennai institution that deserves credit for promoting chess in a big way is Velammal Vidhyalaya. This school nurtures many precious chess talents from India, including Grandmasters, D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, S. P. Sethuraman, Leon Mendonca, K. Priyadharshan, B. Adhiban, Vishnu Prasanna and R. Vaishali and Women Grandmaster, V. Varshini and Women International Master, R. Rakshitta. This school has been the powerhouse of Indian chess since 2005. They have won the World School Chess Championships five times, with D. Gukesh and R. Praggnanandhaa being part of the winning team in 2021.

Former TN CM J Jayalalithaa’s Contribution

Amma J Jayalalitha is another person who did her bit to promote chess in Tamil Nadu. Some of us remember Amma using Assembly Rule 110 to announce a series of welfare schemes and policies during her term as the Chief Minister. One of her famous announcements was the school reforms in August 2011. Part of that was a plan called the “7 to 17 program” to take chess to all the government schools in Tamil Nadu among children aged 7 to 17. She also brought the World Chess Championships 2013 to Chennai, where Magnus Carlsen defeated Vishwanathan Anand to win the title.

Amma’s fondness and support for sports in Tamil Nadu is well known. Therefore, her championing of the cause of chess shouldn’t come as a surprise. Then came the 44th Chess Olympiad, which happened in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, in 2022, opened by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India 2, coached by GM R. B. Ramesh, included D. Gukesh, Nihal Sarin, R. Praggnanandhaa, B. Adhiban, and Raunak Sadhwani won the bronze medal in the team championship. D. Gukesh made his mark here winning the gold medal for Board 1. The Indian women, Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, R. Vaishali, Tania Sachdev and Bhakti Kulkarni also won the bronze.

Tamil Nadu has always been the chess capital of India. With D. Gukesh winning the World Chess Championships 2024 and great mentors and ambassadors of the game like Vishwanathan Anand, R. B. Ramesh, Aarthie Ramaswamy, etc. propelling the game, we are going to see many champions from the state in the coming years. The following Thirukkural fits the chess scene in Tamil Nadu perfectly.

நிலவரை நீள்புகழ் ஆற்றின் புலவரைப்
போற்றாது புத்தேள் உலகு. (Fame, 234)

“Behold the man that hath won a lasting, worldwide fame: the Gods on high prefer him even before saints.” – The Kural Or The Maxims Of Tiruvalluvar – V V S Aiyar.

Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra student.

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The post How Tamil Nadu Became India’s Chess Powerhouse appeared first on The Commune.

A select few and their cabal traditionally controlled the narrative of India’s history. All these years, they decided who should be spoken about and who would be pushed to obscurity, as well as the quantity and quality of what would be spoken. Great people who wouldn’t fit their definition went into the footnote, or if they were lucky, as an obscure statue in a nondescript corner. One of these forgotten heroes is Sri. M. C. Madurai Pillai (not to be mistaken with another great son of Bharata Mata, Sri. P. M. Madurai Pillai).

We know little about Sri. M. C. Madurai Pillai’s childhood. He was born into a Dalit Paraiyar-Valluvar family. He worked in the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) in Karnataka. In those days, many workers there belonged to the Scheduled Caste community from Tamil Nadu, especially from the northern districts. Even Swami Sahajananda’s family from Arani moved to Kolar and found work in the KGF.

A Public Face In Madras And Kolar

Sri M. C. Madurai Pillai grew with the KGF and became a key leader and businessman. By his twenties, he was one of the KGF’s leading contractors. Kolar and Madras were home to him, and he shuttled between these two places. Soon, he was among the few successful businessmen in Madras and Kolar. His philanthropic bent of mind pushed him into public service at an early age.

He served as a member of the Madras Municipality (much before the Madras Corporation days) and the Saidapet Taluka Board and later became a Chengalpet Zilla Council Board member. The government feted him with the Rao Saheb award and title. He was also appointed an Honorary Magistrate of Madras City.

He understood the value of education in elevating lives, which led the government to appoint him to the province’s Education Council. In 1919, he was instrumental in starting Sri Namperumal Primary School in both Robertsonpet and Andersonpet in Kolar. These two schools were later elevated as Middle Schools. Later, he became a Member of the Madras Presidency Legislative Council in 1925.

A Devout Vaishnava

He was a devout Vaishnava and a staunch Sanatani. Once, while on a visit to Sri Ranganatha temple in Srirangam, he chanced a Kata Kalaksheba (discourse) on Srimad Bhagavata Purana by Sri Ubhaya Vedhaantha Pravarthaga Srimath Arulmaari Thiruvengada Varayogi Swamigal. Mesmerised, he wanted to become a disciple of the Swami and take the Pancha Samskara ritual to formally enter the Sri Vaishnavism portals. The Swami’s disciples enquired about his antecedents, and knowing he was from the Pariyar community, they refused him access to the Swami. Unperturbed, he started a fast until the Swami gave him Pancha Samskara.

The Swamiji, pleased with Sri Madurai Pillai’s focus and dedication, initiated him into Sri Vaishnavism, giving him the Pancha Samskara and the name “Madurakavi Ramanujadasar.” The Guru also visited his Shishya’s abode in Kolar, which started a new chapter in the district’s history, reeling under Christian missionaries’ influence. Sri. Madurai Pillai established “Sri Udayavar Sabhai” in Andersonpet in Kolar, making it the fulcrum of Sanatana Dharma in the region. Many people from across all communities were initiated with Pancha Samskara. Sri Madurai Pillai also built a splendid Nam Perumal Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Kolar.

Worked For Marginalised And Oppressed

He acted as the voice of the marginalised and oppressed. He established Adi Dravida Mahajana Sabha to work for the oppressed community. It is said that Sri Madurai Pillai coined the word Adi Dravida to refer to the marginalised community. He published a magazine, Dravidian. Sri. Veeraiyan, designated Vaduganambi Dasar during his Pancha Samskara, was Dravidian’s Editor. He was a great scholar of the Sri Vaishnava philosophy and was called “Sri Hari Katha Prasanga Vedantha Rathnakara”. Sri. Madurai Pillai was also passionate about worker health and welfare. He did many Silicosis awareness campaigns and medical camps. Silicosis is a deadly respiratory disease that affects the lungs, which was prevalent among the miners.

In 1921, the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills workers went on strike. This strike soon became a class issue between two sets of workers, resulting in the infamous “Pulianthope riots,” which resulted in significant loss of lives and property for both sides. Sri. Pillai worked for the relief and rehabilitation of both sides without any fear or favour. His neutral stand and his great work are unparalleled. He was a pillar of support for “Thatha” Rettaimalai Srinivasan, who went as a delegate to the first roundtable conference in London. He telegrammed Babasaheb Ambedkar, wishing him success at the roundtable.

The Legacy Of Sri. M. C. Madurai Pillai

Sri. M. C. Madurai Pillai passed away on December 14, 1934. He had done more for the community, culture, and Sanatana Dharma than anyone would have done in a century. His descendants, now the hereditary Dharmakarta (trustees) of the Nam Perumal Ranganatha Swamy Temple Trust in Kolar, are carrying forward his great work.

Let us remember and pay our respects to Sri. M. C. Madurai Pillai, another great son of Bharata Mata and a savant of Sanatana Dharma, today.
பிறப்பொக்கும் எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் சிறப்பொவ்வா
செய்தொழில் வேற்றுமை யான்.
(Greatness, Kural 972)

The manner of birth is the same for all men, but their reputations vary because they differ in their lives – The Kural or The Maxims of Thiruvalluvar by VVS Aiyar.

Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who is currently working with a leading technology multi-national company. He is an avid reader, a history buff, cricket player, writer, Sanskrit & Dharma Sastra student.

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The post Rao Saheb M. C. Madurai Pillai: A Forgotten Hero Of Social Reform And Sanatana Dharma appeared first on The Commune.

I was in my first year of college in 1993 and was part of the National Cadet Corps (NCC). Our college Army wing had the strength of two companies (A & B) of the 7TN Battalion of NCC, which belonged to the Madurai Group. Being the inquisitive pest I was, I saw a portrait of a gentleman officer in a nondescript corner of the Associated NCC Officer’s (ANO) office. Below the portrait was his name, 2/Lt. G. V. Prasanna Rao, MVC.

Maha Vir Chakra is the second-highest military decoration in India. It has been awarded 219 times so far. MVC has a provision for a Bar, which is the same person getting decorated again with an MVC. So, every time you get decorated with this award, it is counted as a Bar. So far, only six personnel have been awarded one Bar or have been decorated with the MVC the second time. The most prominent person to have been decorated with a Bar on MVC is General Arun Shridar Vaidya – In 1965 (Operation Riddle) and 1971 (the third India-Pakistan war).

The suffix MVC was an instant WOW. My jaws dropped. But who is he? And why is his portrait inside the ANO office in Madura College (Aut), Madurai? I asked the question to my ANO, Lt. K. M. Rajasekaran (later, Major.). 

He said two things: 2/Lt. Rao was an alumnus of Madura College (Aut) [confirmation reg course and year awaited] and was awarded (Maha Vir Chakra) MVC during the 1962 Indo-China War. Unfortunately, after this encounter, I didn’t have the resources to dig deeper (the internet came much later). 

Triggered By A Social Media Post 

The spark got rekindled a few days back when a netizen posted this.

Nobody wants to talk about Ramaswamy parameswaran. The only tamil to have been conferred a param vir chakra.

If you know, you know.#amaran

— Vijaykumar Shanmugam kaadaiyon (@vijayshan) November 20, 2024

PVC, Operation Pawan, & Tamil Nadu

Major Ramaswamy Parameshwaran is indeed the only Tamil to have been decorated with India’s highest military decoration, the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka. It is history that only 21 of the bravest of brave have been awarded the PVC, 14 of which were posthumous awards. Incidentally, the first and the twenty-first are posthumous awards during operations in J&K – Major. Somnath Sharma was the first to be decorated with a PVC (posthumous, 1947). The twenty-first was Captain. Vikram Batra during Operation Vijay (Kargil war) in 1999. Trivia: 13 out of 21 awards were for different operations in J&K.

Between 1987-’90, under the mandate of the Indo-Sri Lankan Peace Accord, India sent in a peacekeeping force called the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) to diffuse tensions between the Sri Lankan Army and the various Tamil groups operating there. Another main agenda was to disarm the Tamil groups. It is history that things didn’t go as planned. Tamil groups, especially the LTTE, took it upon themselves to fight the IPKF, ending in heavy casualties on both sides. While we don’t know about the LTTE, the official figures from the Indian army say that we had 1,165 personnel killed in action (KIA) and another 3,009 wounded. It was during this operation that Major. Parameshwaran of 8 Mahar Regiment was decorated posthumously with India’s highest military honour, the Param Vir Chakra. It is a sad story that we, in India, don’t celebrate our tri-services enough. And it hurts me a lot when many Bahubalis in Tamil Nadu love looking at even the Indian tri-forces through the lens of caste.

 It is a shameful truth that in Tamil Nadu, certain anti-India Dravidian forces have a Midas-like touch to turn everything under the sun into a caste issue. One of the most famous questions by these forces is how many Brahmins have served the Indian tri-services and the community’s contribution. While this isn’t a question I wouldn’t even acknowledge, let alone answer, it is a coincidence that the two people who got the two highest military decorations belong to the Brahmin community.  

2/Lt. Prasanna Rao’s Madura College (Aut) Connection

2/Lt. G. V. Prasanna Rao was a Coimbatore boy born on 15 October 1940. He grew up in Coimbatore with a passion for joining the Indian Army. After schooling and pre-university (PSG CAS) in Coimbatore, he came to Madurai to join Madura College (Aut), a 135-year-old institution5. He got commissioned in 1962, presumably short service commission (citation required). He joined 4 Grenadiers, an infantry regiment with a rich gallantry history. There are a host of heroes from 4 Grenadiers. CQMH. Abdul Hameed, PVC (Battle of Asal Uttar, 1965) is their most prominent. 

Within four months of being commissioned as a 2/Lt, the Indo-China war broke out and 2/Lt. Rao’s unit was deployed in the Khinzemane Sector of the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), now Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Assam. His was a forward post near the mouth of the Namka Chu River. This unit was asked to withdraw due to the reported Chinese incursions at the Dhola post. Little did the company lead by 2/Lt. Rao knew that the enemy Company had cut off their withdrawal route. 

2/Lt. Prasanna Rao’s company was outnumbered and overpowered by the superior Chinese artillery. The Chinese mortar shelling destroyed the channel of the evacuation of Indian troops, a bridge over the Nyamjungchu River. Undaunted, after being cut off from all sides, 2/Lt. Rao and his men fought valiantly. He even took charge of the Light Machine Gun himself and held the post before he was fatally injured and killed in action. He was 22 years old and just four months after being commissioned into the Indian Army. 2/Lt. Prasanna Rao withheld the highest traditions of the Indian army, its motto, “Seva Paramo Dharma”, service before self.  Later, he became the sixty-third recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), the second-highest military honour in India. 

The Citation Of The Honour Reads…

2/Lt. G. V. P. Rao was in command of a company which was ordered to reinforce the Khinzemane sector in N.E.F.A. by occupying a defended locality at Dhoklong Samba on 12 October 1962.

On 20 October 1962 this defended locality was shelled, and heavily assaulted by an enemy infantry battalion supported by mortars. Although greatly outnumbered this company withstood repeated enemy attacks. No withdrawal was possible because the enemy mortars had destroyed the bridge over the unfordable Nyamjungchu. In spite of being cut off, 2/Lt. G. V. P. Rao continued to fight gallantly. He personally manned a light machine gun and inspired men under his command to hold the position even at the cost of their lives in keeping with the highest traditions of the service thus setting a high example of leadership and courage.

Bringing Back Memories Of 2/Lt. G. V. Prasanna Rao

India, as a country, doesn’t have a great track record of remembering greats. We have been trained to remember only a few greats ‘approved’ by a clique. Though it has changed in the last 12-13 years, we must do more. Expecting the governments to remember and honour greats isn’t an elegant solution. We all need to do our little to make sure the greats who have lost everything, including their lives, to save the honour of Bharat are recognised and respected. 

Let us start with knowing the veterans, the greats from our region who have given us everything serving the tri-services and honouring their contributions wherever possible. Two days back, I talked with Dr. J. Suresh, the current Principal of Madura College (Aut), Madurai, about 2/Lt. G. V. Prasanna Rao, MVC. He has promised that the college will take all steps to take the message about this great alumnus, 2/Lt. Rao to the current and next generations. If someone from PSG CAS, Coimbatore, is reading this, please pass this message on to management and ask them to do the needful. 

Thiruvalluvar says this when he talks about the self-abandon of the warrior

சுழலும் இசைவேண்டி வேண்டா உயிரார்

கழல்யாப்புக் காரிகை நீர்த்து. 

Suzhalum Isaivendi Venda Uyiraar

Kazhalyaappuk Kaarigai Neerthu

(Kural 777)

Behold the men that care not for their lives but yearn for the fame that encompasseth the earth about: the anklet that they wear around their foot is a very feast to the eye. – The Kural or Maxims of Thiruvalluvar by VVS Aiyer.

Kazhal is the anklet that the brave warriors of those days wore. In the context of our tri-forces in contemporary history, should we replace the anklet with the epaulettes of these days?

As the saying goes, “A country that doesn’t respect its soldiers is doomed to fail.” Let us wake up and do our bit for our greats.

P.S: If you want to learn more about Operation Pawan, there are many resources. The first and the best I would recommend is Major General Harkirat Singh’s “Intervention in Sri Lanka: The IPKF Experience Retold.” My personal hero from Operation Pawan was Col. Anil Kaul, a tankman who lost an eye and arm during operations. He was a very knowledgeable man and one of the prominent and sane voices on news television (some might remember him as the retired officer with an eye patch). He also served as a security advisor for the International Cricket Council and was responsible for the Pakistan team’s security during the ICC Champions Trophy 2006. His revelation that fast-bowler Shoaib Akthar slapped Bob Woolmer, the then coach of the Pakistani team, created a storm in the cricket world. 

Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra student.

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The post 2/Lt. G. V. Prasanna Rao: The 22-Year-Old Martyr Who Embodied ‘Seva Paramo Dharma’ In 1962 Indo-China War appeared first on The Commune.

Author and historian TS Krishnan recently published a Tamil translation of Ganga Devi’s Madhura Vijayam. The book is titled கங்கா தேவியின் மதுரா விஜயம் (Ganga Deviyin Madhura Vijayam). Before getting into his translation, here is some history. Beyond being a passionate Madurai-ite and a history buff, a few other things drew me close to Ganga Devi and her work around fifteen years ago. My interest was kindled by a few usual tropes that people use to deride Sanatana Dharma: Education for women was (only) made possible by the Dravidian movement, no one but Brahmins had access to Sanskrit, are some of the popular ones still being peddled.

Sanskrit And Women

We don’t have to go way back into the Vedic age to cite the examples of Gārgī Vāchaknavī, Vadava Pratitheyi, and Sulabha Maitreyi to prove our point. Many women scholars of Sanskrit existed around the time of Ganga Devi, and most were not Brahmins. Rajasekara, a dramatist from 950 CE, says that gender isn’t a determining factor; it is the inner genius.

Women like Tirumalambika, who lived around 1530 CE, wrote a Champukavya, Varadambikaparinaya, immortalising Achutadevaraya’s marriage to Varadambika. Achutadevaraya was the successor of Krishnadevaraya, the emperor of Vijayanagara. We then had Ramabhadrambal in Thanjavur, who wrote Raghunathabhyudaya, honouring her husband, Raghunatha Nayak (1600 CE), who was part of the Thanjavur Nayak Dynasty. His court also patronised another woman, poet Madhuravani, who translated into Sanskrit the Mahakavya that Raghunatha Nayak wrote in Telugu, Valmikicharitram.

Historically, numerous women poets and scholars of Sanskrit stood as tall as their male counterparts. Most of these great women were not Brahmins, dispelling the Dravidian trope that non-Brahmins were prohibited from studying Sanskrit.

Madhura Vijayam – Real History and Some Personal History

Madhura Vijayam or Virakamparayacharita is the history of Kumara Kampana, the prince of Vijayanagara and the son of Bukka I, the emperor who succeeded his brother, Harihara I, as the emperor of the Vijayanagara empire. The work traces Kumara Kampana from birth to his conquering and liberating Madurai from the tyrannical Islamic Sultanate. The author of this book is Kumara Kampana’s Queen consort, Ganga Devi, a Sanskrit poetess par excellence.

The work dates from around 1380 CE but was considered lost until about 108 years ago. In 1916, Pandit Ramasvami Sastriar discovered a palm-leaf manuscript of this great work in Trivandrum. But that wasn’t the complete work. There are many incomplete parts. It is unclear how much of this great work is lost. Apart from this manuscript, there are supposed to be two more, one in Lahore and another in Trivandrum (a second).

This great work was salvaged, printed in Trivandrum, and made available in 1924. The original, which was edited and published by Harihara Sastri and Srinivasa Sastri in 1924, retailed for twelve Annas, a book whose PDF version I could read.

The other two—the First, “The Conquest of Madhura by Ganga Devi,” translated by Dr. Shankar Rajaraman and Venetia Kotamraju—were published in 2013. This beautiful translation in English has the Sanskrit verses side by side and is a lovely book I lost before one of the translators, Dr. Shankar, was kind enough to send me an autographed (in Sanskrit) copy in 2021. The second is a Tamil translation கங்காதேவியின் ‘மதுராவிஜயம்’ (Gangadeviyin ‘Maduravijayam’) by Srivaishnavasri. A. Krishnamacharyar, published in 2010. This work starts with some background history and then goes into the Tamil translation of the verses.

கங்கா தேவியின் மதுராவிஜயம் – The Translation By TS Krishnan

This is an excellent, easy-to-handle Tamil translation of the verses of Ganga Devi’s work. Krishnan, an IT professional and history buff, knows the syntax of presenting translations. He doesn’t jump straight into the work but provides you with a lot of history and background before he takes you to visit Ganga Devi’s work. The background he gives is like a perfect starter before the main course is served, the Tamil translation of the great work.

The translation covers the nine cantos of the work. Each canto starts with a summary of what one can expect, followed by the verse-by-verse translation of the work. Krishnan also provides timely interludes between verses, explaining certain things implied by the author but that a person reading a translation might not grasp. The author’s extensive research is apparent in his presentation.

Why Read The Book? 

This is in lucid Tamil prose anyone can read, understand, and appreciate.
Understand our real history and start discerning good from bad.
To realise what our ancestors have gone through to save our temples and culture and start working towards restoring Bharat’s glory.
So, if you read Tamil and want to learn more about our history and culture. Grab this book.
Let us not forget
धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः
Tiruvalluvar says this more directly
அறத்தினூஉங்கு ஆக்கமும் இல்லை அதனை
மறத்தலின் ஊங்கில்லை கேடு.
Thirukkural (Chapter 4, The Glorification of Righteousness, 31)
There is no greater good than Righteousness, nor no greater evil than the forgetting of it.
The Kural or The Maxims of Thiruvalluvar by VVS Aiyer

Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra student.

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The post Book Review: TS Krishnan’s Insightful Tamil Translation Of Ganga Devi’s Madhura Vijayam appeared first on The Commune.

At the centre of discourse in Tamil Nadu is the word “Self-respect.” This word is a moving target with various definitions. Let us explore what genuine self-respect means in the Chenbagaraman way.

Venkittan – The Policeman’s Son

Sri Chinnaswami Pillai was a police head constable in Trivandrum married to Smt. Nagammal, the daughter of the personal doctor of the ruler of Travancore, Dr. Padmanabha Pillai. These two Tamil-speaking families were from Nanjil Nadu, which included the present-day Kanyakumari district. On 15 September 1891, their eldest son, fondly called Venkittan, was born.

An intelligent boy, he was formally named Chenbagaraman and started his education at a primary school in Trivandrum. He often embarrassed his policeman father by publicly chanting Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai. He formed the Sri Bharata Mata Youth Association with the local youth and even coined the slogan “Jai Hind.”

Then came a moment when his father had to take him into custody. Being underage, the authorities decided to leave the youth away from Trivandrum and let them walk back as a punishment. The smart and quick-thinking Venkittan tricked a police vehicle into taking his group back to the town.

Meeting Sir Walter Williams Strickland, the Anarchist Baronet

Sir Strickland inherited the title 9th Baronet but formally renounced it and his British citizenship. He was multi-faceted – an anarchist according to the Imperialists, a gypsy, a bohemian, a social thinker, a botanist, and a great friend of the cause of free Bharat. He often wrote in The Indian Sociologist, the newspaper edited by Shyamji Krishnavarma.

Strickland met Chenbagaraman and his friend Padmanabha Pillai in Trivandrum. Chenbagaraman was seventeen when he, Strickland, and Padmanabhan took the German liner NGL York to Italy. In Italy, Strickland put him in Berlitz Language School in Naples to learn European languages.

Chenbagaraman moved to Zurich and joined an engineering college. He formed a group, the Pro-India Committee, and came in contact with Shyamji Krishnavarma. Later, he joined Berlin University and met staunch Indian nationalists such as Madam Cama, Lala Hardayal, and Raja Mahendra Pratap. On 31 July 1914, he created the Indian National Voluntary Corps, the predecessor of Netaji’s INA.

“Emden” Chembagaraman Pillai

Chenbagaraman Pillai joined the German Navy and served the light cruiser ship (it was not a submarine as many think), SMS Emden, as its Second Officer. This fast-moving Dresden class light cruiser mainly operated along the Indian Ocean during the First World War. Emden bombed Madras and set the oil tankers in the harbour ablaze on the evening of 22 September 1914. On the waters of Kerala, it sank five British vessels in fifteen days. Chenbagaraman Pillai and a few other sailors alighted in Kochi and dined at a Jew’s house.

Foreign Minister, Provincial Indian Government

Chenbagaraman Pillai met Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Vienna in 1919, inspiring him to form INA. He became the Foreign Minister of the Provisional Indian Government, formed in Kabul, Afghanistan, with Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh as President and Maulana Barakatullah as Prime Minister.

Friendship With Hitler And Making Enemies Of Nazis

Chenbagaraman Pillai was the only person of colour in the National People’s Party, an ally of the Nazis. He enjoyed a close friendship with Hitler. Hitler met the press on 10 August 1931. When asked about India and British rule, he responded that it was the non-Aryan Indian’s fate to be ruled over by the British. Again, on 4 December 1931, he said, “Britain losing India would not augur well for any nation, including Germany.”

An enraged Chenbagaraman Pillai sent Hitler a letter with an ultimatum to withdraw his remarks. He said, “You seem to attribute more importance to the colour of the skin than blood. Our skins may be dark, not our hearts.” Hitler apologised to the people of India. The people around Hitler didn’t take this incident kindly.

Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933. His people seized the opportunity to raid Chenbagaraman’s house, manhandle, and poison him. He took ill and moved to Italy to treat a clot in his brain. On 28 May 1934, Chenbagaraman Pillai left his mortal coil and passed away.

Karamana, Where I Shall Dissolve

As per his final wishes, his ashes were immersed in the Karamana River in Trivandrum on 17 September 1966, thirty-two years after his death. His ashes came from Bombay aboard INS Delhi, a light cruiser ship. Rear Admiral SM Nanda (Later, CNS and Admiral), the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, commanded the vessel to Cochin.

Thiruvalluvar’s following words fit the man who gave us the slogan “Jai Hind,” an epitome of self-respect who lived only forty-two short years.

“நிலவரை நீள்புகழ் ஆற்றின் புலவரைப்
போற்றாது புத்தே ளுலகு”

Tirukkural, Fame, 234

Behold the man that hath won a lasting, worldwide fame: the Gods on high prefer him even before Saints – The Kural or The Maxims of Thiruvalluvar by VVS Aiyar.

Jai Hind

Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and student of Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra.

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The post “Jai Hind” Chenbagaraman Pillai – A Legacy Of Self-Respect appeared first on The Commune.

The first time I got curious about the Tamil month of Aadi was when I heard an Illayaraja song that never made it to the movie it was recorded for! The tea shop in Tirunelveli Town at the junction of Amman Sannidhi Street and East Car Street used to play this every morning, of course, after a round of Seerkazhi Govindarajan, TMS, and LR Eshwari.

Adippattam Thedi ChenNel Vidhai Pottu (“ஆடிப்பட்டம் தேடி செந்நெல் விதைபோட்டு”) was the song. I asked my grandfather, a retired Headmaster, the million-dollar question: Why do they sow in Aadi month? Because that is what the song says: “Wait for Aadi to sow your paddy.” My grandfather explained that Aadi is the month that signals the start of the rains, the monsoon. Therefore, what is sown in Aadi gets ready for harvest in time for Thai, the first day of which is Makara Sankranti or Thai Pongal.

Then came my second question: I understand why we sow during Aadi month. Why is it significant for all Amman temples?

On a lighter note, in those days, down south, Aadi was also called the LR Eshwari month because we invariably woke up every morning to her beautifully rendered Amman songs played on the loudspeaker in one nearby temple or the other.

Here is what I understood from my grandfather and a bit more.

Why Is Aadi Significant To Devi?

The Hindu calendar is divided into two Ayanas based on the movement of the Sun: Dakshinayana, the period when the sun begins to move southward in the earth’s sky, is also called the summer solstice, and Uttarayana when the sun moves northward, is also called the winter solstice.

Aadi signals the start of the Dakshinayana period when Surya’s chariot moves from the North to the South. During this period, days are shorter, and nights are longer. During this period, Surya enters Kataka (Cancer) rashi, the rashi of Chandra, the Moon. Surya is the Amsa or manifestation of Ishwara, and Chandra is the Shakti Amsa. As this is the month when the Ishwaramsa enters Shaktiamsa, this month assumes a greater significance when worshipping the Mother, Shakti.

Aadi – A Month Full Of Festivals

Aadi is a month full of action, starting with Adipperukku when the farmers worship the water bodies/ rivers. It is also when freshwater flows in after the season’s first rains. Married women pray to the Devi to bless them as Deerga Sumangais, leading a happy and prosperous married life with their husbands.

Then comes the Aadi Ammavasya – the day every significant for the Pitrus or forefathers. We also have Aadi Pooram, Naga Panchami, Varalakshmi Vratam, Aadi Thapasu (a very famous festival in Sankarankovil, Tamilnadu), Maha Sankatahara Chaturthi, Hayagriva Jayanti and Aadi Kirtigai. Andal of Srivilliputtur and Bhoomadevi were born in Aadi. Women worship the Tulsi plant at their houses on Suklapaksha Dwadasi for health and prosperity in their families.

All the Tuesdays and Fridays of this month are considered to be the most auspicious. Women in Tamil Nadu gather at temples to perform Thiruvilakku Poojai or worship the lamp. During the month of Aadi, people propitiate village gods, Kuladeivam (family gods) and Kavaldeivam (protectors of our villages, towns, and cities).

Weddings In Aadi

In Tamil Nadu, weddings are not conducted during the Aadi month. During Aadi, the bride is sent to her mother’s home while the groom remains at his place. So why do we not marry or consummate in Aadi?

What is a year for us human beings is a day in Devaloka. Aadi typically falls in the Sandhi or twilight. Sandhya Kalam is the time for penance and introspection. It is said to be the best time to meditate. Therefore, we avoid getting married while the Gods meditate to not disturb them by calling them to bless the married couple.

Another reason we don’t get married in Aadi is because a union in Aadi (July-August) may result in a birth in Chittirai (April-May). Chittirai is peak summer, which would be trouble for both the mother and the infant.

Aadi In Kerala

In Kerala, Aadi (Kaṟkkaṭakam in Malayalam) is called Ramayana Maasam or the month of Ramayana. This is the month the Keralites read Adhyatma Ramayana by Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, the father of modern Malayalam literature. The temples in Kerala also do a paarayana (devotional reading) of Adhyatma Ramayana every morning of the Kaṟkkaṭakam month.

How Did Aadi Become A “Discount” Month In TN?

For today’s consumer, Aadi is a dream month. It is the month of discounts when everything from a paperclip to a diamond necklace is on sale. There is a history to this. Our economy has traditionally been agrarian. We saw earlier that this is the month when the seeds are sown. Therefore, the farmer would have spent all his resources preparing his field and buying and sowing the seeds required. Hence, our ancestors thought it was prudent not to charge full price for anything that the farmer might need till his situation stabilises, and they gave things at a discount to the farmers. Today’s consumer economy has continued the ‘discount’ albeit on a larger scale, making it a month of discounts.

Thiruvalluvar says,

தென்புலத்தார் தெய்வம் விருந்தொக்கல் தானென்றாங்கு
ஐம்புலத்தாறு ஓம்பல் தலை.

Thenpulathaar Deivam Virundhokkal Thaanendraangu
Aimpulathaaru Ombal Thalai

Five are the householder’s duties: offering oblations to the dead, performing sacrifices to the Gods, offering hospitality, rendering help unto relations, and looking after oneself.

The Kural or The Maxims of Thiruvalluvar by VVS Iyer

What better month than Aadi to action what Tiruvalluvar wants us to do?

PS: Adippattam Thedi ChenNel Vidhai Pottu (“ஆடிப்பட்டம் தேடி செந்நெல் விதைபோட்டு”) was recorded for Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990). But this beautiful song was never used in the movie and only remained in the audio cassette.

Raja Baradwaj is a marketing communications professional who works with a leading technology multinational company. He is an avid reader, history buff, cricket player, writer, and Sanskrit and Dharma Sastra student.

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The post Aadi – The Month When Devi Reigns Supreme appeared first on The Commune.